Children, their teachers and classroom staff at Luzerne County Head Start’s Mehoopany center were featured on Eyewitness News WBRE/WYOU for a presentation they took part in that taught them about the importance of heart health. Head Start regional nurse, Eva Kennedy, talked to the 3, 4 and 5-year-old children at the center in Wyoming County about eating the right food, exercising and not smoking. She offered several demonstrations and held up flash cards that helped the children to understand how to make good decisions that will keep their hearts healthy. Each child then got to listen to his or her own heartbeat with a stethoscope.

The presentation is one of many lessons built into the Head Start curriculum that helps to encourage healthy habits among young children. Click HERE to watch the story put together by Eyewitness News Healthbeat Reporter, Mark Hiller.

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. recently replaced its large outdoor, building sign at its central office/ Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre location. The design (top picture) has a more modern look and includes LCHS’s updated logo, which was unveiled in the summer of 2019. The updated logo includes the traditional Head Start building blocks along with a small, red heart. The heart is meant to signify the importance of family, trust, relationships, culture, diversity and understanding: all of which are important values in the Head Start program. The old sign (bottom picture) was installed on the building when it opened in the mid 1990’s.

Thirty five children who attend Luzerne County Head Start’s (LCHS) Beekman Street, Wilkes-Barre center have a brand new coat this winter thanks to a successful fundraiser conducted by the city of Wilkes-Barre’s fire department and other first responders. For the past several years, the city’s fire department purchased coats through “Operation Warm” for children in need in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District.  Operation Warm is a national non-profit organization that focuses on improving the lives of children living in need through the gift of a brand new winter coat. Thanks to this year’s successful fundraiser, for the first time, city firefighters were able to expand their reach and purchase 35 new coats for children at LCHS. The fundraiser was a joint effort conducted by the city of Wilkes-Barre’s fire department, police department and paramedics. 

Families whose children are enrolled in Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. recently completed a six-session series of parenting classes called “Understanding Children.” The classes took place in November and December at LCHS’s Wilkes-Barre, Beekman St. center. Trained mental health professionals from Lakeside, a company based in the Philadelphia area, helped parents to focus on better understanding their child’s behaviors, interactions and needs. Families also had the opportunity to talk with other families about their experiences with parenting.

Children from Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) will once again have a brighter holiday thanks to employees at Commonwealth Health.  For the past several years, staff from the healthcare network has been collecting gifts for the Head Start program, which provides early childhood education and comprehensive services to children, birth to age five, and their families in Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.

This year, employees fulfilled the wish lists of 93 children who attend school at LCHS’s Edwardsville and Beekman Street, Wilkes-Barre centers. Employees from LCHS picked up dozens of gifts that were collected by staff and volunteers at Commonwealth Health Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and will distribute them to each child’s family before the Christmas holiday.

Pennsylvania State Treasurer, Joe Torsella, visited Luzerne County Head Start in 2018 to kick off the Keystone Scholars pilot program. As part of this demonstration project, babies born or children adopted in 2018 in six counties in PA including Delaware, Elk, Indiana, Luzerne, Mifflin and Westmoreland became eligible for a $100 seed deposit in a Keystone Scholars account established for their post secondary education. For babies born or children adopted on or after January 1, 2019, Keystone Scholars became available statewide.

Mr. Torsella’s visit to LCHS helped to create awareness and acceptance for this new and innovative savings program. To learn more about the Keystone Scholars program, click HERE.

Click HERE to view the video which highlights Mr. Torsella’s 2018 visit to Luzerne County Head Start’s Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre center. 

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. accepted the 2019 “Healthy Workplace Award” during Tuesday night’s annual Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce dinner. Each year the event recognizes businesses and individuals throughout the Greater Wilkes-Barre area in a number of different categories. The “Healthy Workplace Award” is presented to a business or businesses that promotes health and wellness within their organizations.

LCHS works alongside Geisinger’s wellness programs in order to collaborate and develop annual wellness plans catered to its workforce. The overall goal is to improve the health of staff by offering screenings such as blood pressure, weight management, glucose, lipid panels, and bone density screenings. Through challenges that focus on weight management, such as the “March Mayhem Walking Challenge” and the holiday-themed “Maintain Don’t Gain,” and the development of annual screening and wellness plans, LCHS continues to develop a culture of wellness and self-improvement. The goal of these programs is to help employees lead healthy lifestyles and become role models for the communities in which they serve.

LCHS is one of four organizations in Luzerne County that received the 2019 Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce’s “Healthy Workplace Award.”

Thomas P. Leary, president of Luzerne County Community College, recently read “Pete the Cat, Rocking in My School Shoes” to children who attend Luzerne County Head Start’s center located at the college’s campus in Nanticoke. President Leary also handed out t-shirts to the children which read, “Luzerne County Community College, Class of 203?” 

As part of the 2019 re-branding plan, Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. recently launched a billboard campaign across Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.  The campaign was put together in collaboration with Posture Interactive, the digital marketing agency in Scranton that helped LCHS develop its new image.  The campaign focuses on how Head Start helps young children acquire the skills they need to learn and grow.
Eighteen billboards that will run from November through mid-January feature five designs that show how good habits such as regular tooth brushing and eating healthy allow children to grow and develop into successful young adults.  The billboards also feature LCHS’s new motto, Moving Families Forward, along with the agency’s website and phone number.
Please see the information below for a list of billboard locations and the dates they are scheduled to run.

Running approximately November 4, 2019 through December 2, 2019

• Shavertown, Luzerne Co. – Route 309 @ Holcomb Rd.
• West Hazleton, Luzerne Co. – Route 93, approximately ¼ mile north of the Valmont Plaza
• Edwardsville, Luzerne Co. – Route 11 North @ Sunoco Fuel Tanks  
• Wilkes-Barre Twp., Luzerne Co. – Route 309 opposite of Wegmans
• Exeter, Luzerne Co. ­– Route 11 @ Wyoming Homes
• Hazle Twp., Luzerne Co. – Route 924, approximately .7 miles west of Hazleton
• Wilkes-Barre Twp., Luzerne Co. – 530 Blackman St. off bypass
• Nanticoke, Luzerne Co. – West Main St., north of Alden Road
• Plains, Luzerne Co. – River Rd., south of the 8^th Street Bridge   

Running approximately December 16, 2019 through January 26, 2020

• Plains, Luzerne Co. – River St., approximately 1/10 mile south of the Cross Valley Expy.
• Wilkes-Barre Twp., Luzerne Co. – Route 309 opposite of Wegmans
• Dallas, Luzerne Co. – Route 309, opposite M&T Bank
• Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne Co. – N. River Rd. @ Antonio’s Pizza
• Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co. –  Route 29 @ Wachovia Bank
• Wilkes-Barre Twp., Luzerne Co. – 530 Blackman St. off bypass
• *Three additional locations in Luzerne County to be announced in December

In honor of Head Start Awareness Month, Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) welcomed guest readers, Margo Serafini, principal at Kistler Elementary School in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District and reading specialist, Sandy Atherton.  Ms. Serafini and Ms. Atherton enjoyed breakfast with three and four-year old children who are enrolled in the Head Start program at LCHS’s Beekman Street, Wilkes-Barre center. The two then read and acted out the book “The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything.” Each child also received a book to take home. The visit was part of the National Head Start Association’s “Bring a Principal to Head Start” initiative. The celebration coincided with Head Start Awareness Month and National Principals Month.